Towns of New Berlin, Columbus pass resolutions to contract with UVAC

NEW BERLIN – Following months of debate about which ambulance service would provide coverage to the towns of New Berlin and Columbus, both passed resolutions this week to contract with the Unadilla Valley Ambulance Corp.

The New Berlin Ambulance Service will continue to provide coverage for the village.

Two proposals were made at each meeting, one from each ambulance service, before the resolutions were passed.

At the New Berlin town board meeting Monday, Kenneth Wiggins, chief operating officer for the NBAS, told the board that the village-run service would be willing to honor the final year of the five-year contract made in 2008 between the three municipalities for the cost of $9,800.

Instead, the board voted unanimously to approve signing of a contract with UVAC for $19,900, which will go into effect as soon as UVAC is up and running, said Supervisor Ross Iannello.

Iannello said the decision to contract with the not-for-profit company, which was created in February, was made due to the fact that the village’s service is still facing $72,000 in debt.

The NBAS was created in 2008 after Superior Ambulance announced it would no longer be servicing the northeast corner of Chenango County. An advisory board made up of two people from each municipality was created to make suggestions and recommendations to the village board regarding the operation of the service.